We have been driving around Los Santos for over a decade. Since 2013, we’ve memorized every shortcut through the Vinewood Hills and every dirt path around Mount Chiliad. But the conversation has shifted. With the state of Leonida on the horizon, the comparison between the GTA V vs GTA 6 map isn't just about which one is bigger. It’s about how much of that space actually matters.
Rockstar Games is about to drop us into a world that feels fundamentally different.
The 2026 release of Grand Theft Auto VI is bringing us Leonida, a fictionalized Florida that makes San Andreas look like a starter park. While Los Santos was a massive achievement for its time, the sheer scale of what’s coming next is almost hard to wrap your head around. Honestly, size is only half the story.
The numbers that actually matter
Let’s talk raw scale. If you look at the community mapping projects—which are shockingly accurate because they use RAGE engine coordinates from the 2022 leaks—the GTA 6 map is roughly 2.7 times larger than GTA V.
That is a lot of ground to cover.
To put it in perspective, the landmass of GTA V’s San Andreas is about 49 square kilometers. Early estimates for Leonida put it closer to 125 square kilometers. Some fans have even calculated that the urban sprawl of Vice City alone could rival the entire city of Los Santos. You aren't just getting a bigger city; you're getting a more spread-out state.
- Vice Dale County: This is the heart of the action, containing Vice City and Vice Beach.
- Kelly County: This covers the "Grassrivers," which is Rockstar’s take on the Everglades.
- Leonard County: This is the more rural, rugged area to the northwest, including Port Gellhorn.
Why Leonida feels different from San Andreas
The biggest gripe people had with the GTA V map was the "donut" design. You had a massive, dense city at the bottom and a giant mountain in the middle that you had to fly around. Most of the map was empty space. If you weren’t in Los Santos or the tiny strip of Sandy Shores, you were basically just looking at grass and rocks.
GTA 6 is fixing this.
Instead of one giant city, Leonida features multiple hubs. You've got Vice City, but then you have Port Gellhorn, which looks to be a significant town in its own right, not just a cluster of three houses like Paleto Bay. There is also the Leonida Keys—a long chain of islands connected by bridges that will likely be a nightmare for high-speed chases but incredible for scenery.
The density of the world
Size doesn't mean anything if you can't go inside the buildings. In GTA V, maybe 1% of the buildings were actually enterable. Reports and leaked data for GTA 6 suggest a massive jump in "interior density." We are talking about over 700 enterable interiors.
That changes everything.
It means when you’re running from the cops in Vice City, you might actually be able to duck into a laundromat, a burger joint, or an apartment complex to lose your heat. It makes the world feel like a real place rather than a movie set where all the doors are just painted on.
The terrain trap
Florida—sorry, Leonida—is flat. This is a huge departure from the verticality of GTA V. In Los Santos, mountains were used to block your view and make the map feel bigger than it was. In GTA 6, Rockstar has to rely on "draw distance" and atmospheric effects to create scale.
The swamps of the Grassrivers aren't just flat empty water. They’re filled with thick vegetation, airboats, and a lot of wildlife. Remember how Red Dead Redemption 2 felt? That’s the level of detail we’re expecting here. You won't just be driving over a hill; you'll be navigating through mud that actually reacts to your tires.
Comparing the coastlines
In GTA V, the ocean was mostly a border. It was a place where you occasionally went to find a submarine part or hide from a five-star wanted level. In GTA 6, the water is a character.
- GTA V: Circular island, limited water interaction, deep sea was mostly empty.
- GTA VI: Archipelago-style layout in the south, heavy focus on boating, jet skis, and "water physics" that have been upgraded specifically for the Florida setting.
The Keys aren't just small islands. Key Lento alone is rumored to be three times the size of Paleto Bay. When you add the surrounding reefs and underwater secrets, the "playable" area of the map expands significantly beyond just the land.
Traffic and life
Driving in Los Santos is predictable. You know where the traffic jams are. You know how the NPCs react. GTA 6 is introducing a more "reactive" world. The trailers have shown beaches packed with NPCs—hundreds of them—all doing different things.
In the GTA V vs GTA 6 map debate, we have to talk about the "living" aspect. Leonida is going to have dynamic events that make the map feel different every time you visit a location. Think about the random encounters in RDR2 but dialed up for a modern setting. You might see a "Florida Man" style news event happening on a street corner or a police raid on a motel in Leonard County.
The highway system
If the map is 2.7 times bigger, how do we get around?
The highway system in GTA 6 is reportedly much more complex. Instead of just one main loop around the map, there are multiple interstates connecting the different counties. This is crucial because it means the "commute" between cities won't feel like a chore. Plus, the cars in GTA 6 are rumored to have higher top speeds to compensate for the distance.
What most people get wrong
A common misconception is that a bigger map is always better. People see "2.7x larger" and think the game will be 2.7x more fun. But the real win for GTA 6 isn't the distance between the top and bottom of the map. It’s the stuff in between.
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San Andreas felt empty because it was designed for the hardware of 2013 (PS3 and Xbox 360). Leonida is being built for the PS5 and beyond. This allows for "micro-details." We're talking about individual trash cans, realistic lighting in alleys, and a level of grit that GTA V just couldn't achieve.
Honestly, the best way to prepare for the jump is to stop thinking about square footage and start thinking about "density per square mile." That is where GTA 6 is going to win.
Next Steps for Players
If you want to get a head start on understanding the new layout, you should look into the GTA VI Mapping Project. It’s a community-led effort that has meticulously placed every landmark seen in the trailers and leaks onto a coordinate grid. While not "official," it’s the most accurate representation we have.
Also, keep an eye on Rockstar’s "Newscaster" style teasers. They often hide map names and locations in the tickers at the bottom of the screen. Identifying names like "Vice Dale" or "Port Gellhorn" early will help you navigate the state of Leonida much faster when the game finally lands in November 2026.